William Bryan: “That is, as the Senator from California knows, an argument that has been raised. It is a specious argument. The Senator…”

“That is, as the Senator from California knows, an argument that has been raised. It is a specious argument. The Senator from California hails from a jurisdiction which has been on the cutting edge of so much of the technology of the post-World War II era. Because of the Senator's own interest in technology and moving her own economy forward in California, I know she is deeply committed to that. The Senator from California and many of our colleagues reflect that great confidence that the ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit of the American business community responds to challenges. But now there is a disconnect. The automobile industry didn't think they could ever do anything to improve economy. We couldn't suggest they look at that-- somehow that would deprive us of our choice. As the Senator from Washington responded to my question, these arguments were made back in 1974 when a representative at that time from the Ford Motor Company, testifying in opposition to the first fuel economy standards, said--without in any way belying the Senator's own youthful appearance, I think she may recall 1974, as the Senator from Nevada does. At that time, one of the leading automobiles that Ford produced was what I call a pint-sized Pinto. The Senator I am sure will recall that.…”